Rivals to the End
by Faeore
Summary: Er, I can't think of a summary for this one, as the title suggests it's a Shigeru/Gary and Satoshi/Ash fic, though there's more Shigeru... My usual ^.~ Please review =)


Rivals to the End

Written by Arti Cuno

Note: Yes this contradicts my "This time as Friends.." fic. Do I care? No =) Just showing both ways things could turn out, I need to get some hatred and unwanted feeling out right now and here's the best way! =)

* * *

The two trainers stared each other down, each growling faintly as they each waited for the other to make a move. The rivalry between them was second nature now, even if they ever wanted it to stop it would take more then an "I'm sorry" or tears to wash way the hurt and hatred each had.

The two boys were similar in more ways then they'd ever admit to one another. Both were excellent trainers who befriended their pokémon along the way, even if they had different views on the training itself. Being the only two from Pallet Town left for that year, the battle was between them for being the best from their home town. The other two of the original four trainers to leave dropped out months back, finding training to be harder then they'd ever expected.

The tense moment was finally broken as the shorter trainer's pikachu stepped between them "Pika pi! Pika chu!" it said, turning to its trainer first, then the other boy. "Pika pi chu! Cha!" the little yellow rodent waved its arms about as it tried desperately to communicate.

The trees around them rustled as the breeze of the evening flowed through their leaves. It seemed even nature was being controlled by the tense demeanor that was lingering in the air. It had been calm until these two crossed paths once again.

"What are yooou doing here, Satoshi?" It didn't seem like a question but more of a demand. From the way it was said, it was almost as if Satoshi was meant as a curse, not a name.

There was a pause between them, the first one to comment crossed his arms and smirked his trademark smirk. The one that was usually preceding an insult. "What's the matter? Baby can't talk? Pikachu got your tongue?" he laughed, a sharp loud sound, scaring the birds resting in nearby trees.

As fast as forest filled with the sound of flapping wings it died out, leaving the sound of the wind again.

"No, What are _you_ doing here? I was looking for pokémon, Shigeru!" Satoshi's reply was sharp, but his expression gave away he didn't mean it to be as hurtful as it had seemed. He was just copying what had been said to him and dished it back, though he failed horribly.

"Weak, little Satoshi's TRYING to catch a pokémon! This is the funniest thing I've heard all day! If you must know I came here looking for another Eevee, I've been planning on adding an Efui to my team but I've evolved all my other eevee but one. Looks like you're too cheap to get a thunderstone for that scrawny rat-"

Satoshi clenched his fists to his sides and closed his eyes. "I like Pikachu how he is!"

"Pika!" pikachu added, following its trainers actions. It didn't fully understand everything going on, but it knew its trainer, its friend, was hurting.

Shigeru grinned. "Are you raising pets or fighters?!" he sneered. "You'll never amount to anything, will you?"

Shigeru paused, remembering he'd been told the same thing by some of the first trainers he'd battled, he'd gotten though some battles by the skin of his teeth, if teeth had skin that was. His undefeated record wasn't anymore, Satoshi had seen him lose his first match, that was one of the most humiliating things he'd ever experienced. He came out of his sudden daze and set his face to the expression he had before. The one that said "I'm better then you, get over it, you know I'm right." Deep down though everything was crying to be let out.

Satoshi was now looking at the ground, Shigeru raised an eyebrow as he watched Satoshi's pikachu tug on its trainer's pant leg. "Pika pi..." it said softly.

Shigeru didn't seem to know what was going on, something wasn't right. Oddly the scene seemed familiar. Something he'd blocked out from before maybe? Something that happened to him?

"Something wrong, now? Can't take a little competition, can we now? What a loser. A total waste of my time. If I was you I'd just give up, training. You'll amount to nothing. Nothing at all!"

As he spoke those words he heard a voice echoing in his head. _Nothing! Nothing at all! You'll just be a disgrace to us! You're worthless!_ He shook it off, it was that thing people called a conscience he figured, that annoying voice that bitches at you when you're having fun.

"Leave me alone!!" Satoshi hollered, pushing Shigeru out of his way.

_Was he crying? Look what you've done now Shigeru, You've become one of them. The people you hated so much before._

The voice was back, Satoshi gone, and Shigeru was left with a feeling he hadn't fully experienced before. Guilt.

_Go. Away..._ Shigeru though, actually talking to himself in his head. _Oh man, I must be losing it..._

He glanced back at the path Satoshi took and sighed. There'd be no eevee that way, he'd have scared them all off. Shigeru sighed and flopped down onto a nearby fallen tree, there was nothing to do now, all the pokémon would be gone with all that yelling having happened. He picked up a twig and began to doodle in the soft forest soil. That voice had finally left him alone at least. It sounded so familiar but he couldn't place it to anyone.

A gust of wind blew his hair slightly causing a lock to fall into his face. He was too caught up in the ground doodle to care, the drawing was just taking shape. As he finished it the twig snapped having hit a stray rock. Shigeru groaned and stood up. Something felt like it was eating him inside out. _There's a river near by, maybe I'll go there for a while, kinda feels nice to be alone..._

He followed the sound of the water for several minutes, finally reaching it. There was a small waterfall that was giving its location away by the gentle rumbling. He walked to its banking and kneeled down, looking at his reflection. He didn't see himself anymore. The person looking back was mean, and cruel, like he'd been to Satoshi, was he really turning into someone like that?

Dipping his hand into the cool, fresh water he splashed it onto his face, then fixed the stray hair blowing about. _It's been so long since I've had my hair down I doubt it would stay down!_ he mused to himself.

From somewhere behind him, the bushed began to shake and snap. Something was heading his way, something that seemed big. He turned to see what it was. A small yellow head poked out from the bushes yelling, "Pi-ka!" happily. Shigeru fell into the stream in shock a little pokémon like that could be so noisy. It was merely a pikachu, coming for a drink it seemed.

Shigeru resurfaced, his head anyhow, his hair plastered to his head, hanging down to his shoulders. He was soaked right down to his boxers, and not a change of clothes in sight. He sunk back into the water, sitting on the bottom, and blew out a bubble of air causing the pikachu to laugh. It seemed like it wasn't scared of him, though it was only a baby. It looked as if it'd been a pichu just evolved recently.

"Piiiiiii-ka?" the pikachu asked, bounding to the side of the water, as close as it could to Shigeru without getting in. "Pik, pika! Pika!"

Annoyed, Shigeru raised an eyebrow at the rat. He had the urge to grab it and slam it into the water and laugh, it would be a dumb idea though, water conducts electricity, he didn't want to explain the reach of the electric mouse's attacks.

He stood up, and dripped his way to dry land where he sat down with a "slosh" and leaned forward. Resting his head on one knee, he looked at the chu again as he pushed his hair out of his face. The animal was staring at him, making faces. It was too tame to be wild, someone much have let it loose.

"C'meer." Shigeru said, holding out a hand. "Don't worry, I won't hurt ya."

The pikachu did as told. It came over, and climbed right on Shigeru's head. "Pi-ka!" it cried happily.

Shigeru lifted his soggy shirt long enough to grab an empty pokéball from his belt. He quickly tried to swing his arm up and catch the chu but ended up bashing himself in the head.

"Piiikaaaa..." the pikachu shook a finger.

"Don't wanna be caught, huh?"

"Chu." it shook its head and climbed back on Shigeru. It was being like Satoshi's pikachu, it didn't want to be in a pokéball.

"I get ya, you wanna tag along without being caught. I don't like it." Shigeru complained. He felt he had more control over a pokémon if it was confined in a poké ball until it was freed to battle.

"Chuuuu!!!" it yelled, using a thunder attack.

"Alright! Alright!! I don't care, just don't make me turn into Satoshi...."

"Pika pi?"

"Yeah, Pika p-, uh, Satoshi. The guy I hate. He's a real prick you know. Thinks he's gonna be better then me, HA! There's a laugh, I'm the best there is! Even if I've made a few mistakes along the way, I'M going to be number one! Not that loser!"

"Pi ka!"

"Hey, you understand, don't you?" Shigeru smiled, something he rarely did anymore. He pulled the pikachu from his head and scratched it behind an ear. "You have a name?"

"Chuuuu..." the pikachu cooed, Shigeru didn't know if it was from the attention it was getting or if that was its name.

"Chu it is then!" _Heh, I seem to be turning into Satoshi now... Scarey!_

He stood up and began to walk along the river with his newest pokémon. His meant he was now carrying seven pokémon but bending the rules now and again didn't hurt.

After an uneventful hour, he finally stopped. It was dusk now, and he'd probably missed the ride he was supposed to catch to leave the forest. Chu was now sleeping on his head and "piiiiiikaaaaaa"ing softly as it breathed. The wind had stopped a while back, and Shigeru's clothes were now half dried from the time they'd had exposed to the setting sun's warmth.

They approached a sandy area where there was a strange light shining like a small artificial sun. A campfire it seemed. _I wonder if they'll mind if I stay the night with them. It's getting cold, and I haven't got anywhere to go..._

He jogged the rest of the distance to where he could see the fire. He spotted four figures sitting around it. One girl, two guys, and a pikachu. It was Satoshi-tachi. There was no way he was going to stay with them, even if it meant he'd spend the night old and alone. The group were all facing away from the water, other then Pikachu who seemed to be asleep. Shigeru figured he could sneak by without them even seeing him, maybe even get the chance to scare Satoshi to death. His smirk was returning at that thought.

He started past the group, finally standing right behind Satoshi. Shigeru opened his mouth to speak but nothing would come out. Something was stopping him from harassing Satoshi again. It seemed the voice called a conscience was winning again, he hated when it happened, he'd just have to find a way to beat it out.

"Sooo, _Loser_...." Shigeru taunted, leaning over Satoshi's shoulder. He forgot about Chu being on his head and woke the sleeping pokémon up with a start.

Satoshi snapped about to come face to face with Shigeru. Kasumi and Takeshi also looked to see where the voice came from.

"What happened to you..." Kasumi asked, making a face. "You look like a drowned rat.... Is that a Pikachu?"

Chu rubbed its eyes and yawned widely. "Pi-ka?" it poked Shigeru's head, annoyed about being woken up.

"Yeah, what of it? It followed me so I kept it. I evolved the last one so I might as well get another one to replace it." Shigeru snapped. "I see you've managed to actually make a half descent camp. Ha. Only losers sleep on the ground in sleeping bags! I usually stay in five star hotels, it's good to have connections!"

"You don't seem to be in a five star hotel tonight." Takeshi pointed out, cooking a fish over the fire.

"Well, uh, I just missed my right earlier!"

"Right, look who's the loser now." Kasumi piped up, no one giving Satoshi time to say anything. His friends were defending him like they always did, Shigeru growled. He didn't have anyone to back him up, he wished he did though.

"Look, why don't you just go away, there's nothing here for you." Satoshi sighed, he didn't seem as feisty as his usual self was when Shigeru was around.

"There's plenty! I can sit here and bug you all night! Ha!"

"He just wants to stay cause he has no where to go...." Kasumi pointed out.

Shigeru fell over. Was he THAT transparent?

"Look, if you wanna stay, fine, but just shut up with the insults." Satoshi said, shocking Kasumi and Takeshi. "but I'm not doing it for you. Your pikachu looks like it's cold and hungry, this is only for the pokémon."

Shigeru plucked Chu off his head, it did look like it was hungry, and it was shivering. He sat the small pikachu next to the fire to warm it up and stroked it softly. "Yeah, well, I guess I should thank you since Chu can't." Shigeru snorted. He wanted to thank them himself but excuses always seemed to come up instead. "This doesn't change anything, I still hate you, Satoshi. Nothing's any different just cause of this."

Kasumi yawned and wen off away from the fire to go to sleep. Takeshi sat the freshly cooked fish next to Chu, he seemed more concerned about feeding the pikachu then himself. He then followed Kasumi's lead and left to sleep, leaving Shigeru and Satoshi alone.

Shigeru turned to look at Satoshi. He'd oddly been quite for a while. As their eyes met, Satoshi had a determined look in his eyes for some reason, the look almost scared Shigeru, he'd never seen that kind of look from his fellow trainer before. "We're rivals to the bitter end, I know, nothing will change that, not even this."

Satoshi stood and walk to the other side of the fire where he laid out his sleeping bag with his two friends and pokémon. Shigeru sighed as he looked across the dancing, fading flames. _I'm sorry I'm so mean Satoshi, but thanks for being kind to me, even if I don't deserve it._


End file.
